Land Registry Fees When Selling a House

When you sell a property in England or Wales, Land Registry fees are one of the smaller items on your bill — but they are also one of the most misunderstood. Sellers frequently assume they are responsible for the full registration fee, when in reality the bulk of Land Registry costs fall on the buyer.

This guide explains exactly which Land Registry fees you will pay as a seller, what the buyer pays, and how the current fee scales work. If you are trying to build a full picture of selling costs, our conveyancing costs breakdown covers every expense from solicitor fees to estate agent charges.

Which Land Registry fees do sellers actually pay?

As the seller, your direct Land Registry costs are limited to the documents your solicitor needs to prepare the contract pack. These are classified as disbursements — third-party charges passed through to you at cost.

Official copies of title documents

Your solicitor orders official copies of your title register and title plan from HM Land Registry at the start of the conveyancing process. These documents confirm your ownership, the extent of the property, any charges or mortgages, restrictive covenants, easements, and other entries affecting the title. The buyer's solicitor relies on them to draft the contract and the TR1 transfer deed.

Since 9 December 2024, official copies cost £7 per document when ordered electronically and £9 by post. Most sellers need at least two documents:

• Title register (official copy): £7
• Title plan (official copy): £7

That brings the minimum to £14. However, your solicitor may also need to order additional documents that are referenced on the register but not included in the standard copies. These include filed copies of transfers, conveyances, leases, easement deeds, or other documents noted in the charges register. Each filed copy costs £7.

For a straightforward freehold property with no unusual entries, you can expect to pay £14 to £28 in official copy fees. Leasehold properties or titles with multiple referenced documents may cost £28 to £50 or more.

Other Land Registry disbursements for sellers

In some circumstances, your solicitor may need to make additional applications to the Land Registry on your behalf before the sale can complete. Common examples include:

• Removing an old charge (form DS1): If a mortgage or charge that has been paid off is still showing on the register, your solicitor arranges for the lender to submit a DS1 discharge form. There is no Land Registry fee for processing this.
• Correcting an error on the register: If there is a name discrepancy or an incorrect entry, your solicitor may need to apply for a correction. Simple corrections are free; more complex ones may incur a small fee depending on the application type.
• Noting a change of name: If your name has changed since you purchased the property (for example, through marriage), evidence of the change is submitted with the transfer. There is no separate Land Registry fee for this when it is dealt with as part of the sale.

What does the buyer pay? Land Registry registration fees explained

The largest Land Registry cost in any property transaction is the registration fee — the charge for updating the register to show the buyer as the new owner. This fee is paid by the buyer, not the seller. It forms part of the transfer of ownership process that takes place after completion.

The registration fee is based on the purchase price and is set out in the HM Land Registry fee schedule. There are two main scales: Scale 1 (for first registrations and certain other applications) and Scale 2 (for transfers of already-registered land). Most house sales fall under Scale 2.

Scale 2 registration fees (transfers of registered land)

The following table shows the current Scale 2 fees, which apply to the vast majority of residential sales. These came into effect on 9 December 2024 under the Land Registration Fee Order 2024.

Source: GOV.UK — HM Land Registry: Registration Services fees, effective from 9 December 2024.

Electronic applications are submitted through the Land Registry's Business e-services portal, which is the standard method used by solicitors and conveyancers. Postal applications cost roughly double and are increasingly rare in residential conveyancing.

Scale 1 registration fees (first registrations)

Scale 1 applies when a property is being registered with the Land Registry for the first time — for example, if the land was previously unregistered. This is relevant to sellers because if you are selling an unregistered property, the buyer must apply for first registration, and the fees are higher:

Although first registration fees are paid by the buyer, if your property is unregistered, the higher cost and additional complexity may affect the buyer's enthusiasm or the speed of the transaction. If you are in this position, speak to your solicitor about whether voluntary first registration before selling might be beneficial.

Official copy fees: the December 2024 increase

Before December 2024, official copies of the title register and title plan cost just £3 each. The Land Registration Fee Order 2024 increased this to £7 — a 133% rise. While the absolute amounts remain modest, the increase is worth noting because it affects every property transaction.

Here is how the official copy fees changed:

Note that the OS1 priority search fee remained unchanged at £2. This is the search the buyer's solicitor carries out before completion to protect the buyer's registration priority.

Full breakdown of Land Registry costs for sellers

The following table summarises every Land Registry-related cost a seller might encounter, who is responsible for paying it, and the current fee. This should help you anticipate what will appear on your completion statement.

For a typical freehold sale, the seller's Land Registry costs total around £14 to £28. Even for a leasehold property with several filed documents to obtain, the total rarely exceeds £50. These are among the smallest disbursements in the entire conveyancing process.

How your solicitor handles Land Registry fees

You do not need to order Land Registry documents yourself or pay HM Land Registry directly. Your solicitor or conveyancer handles everything on your behalf as part of the conveyancing service.

The process typically works as follows:

1. Your solicitor orders official copies of your title register and title plan from the Land Registry's Business e-services portal. These are returned electronically within minutes.
2. They review the documents to check for any issues that need resolving before the sale — old charges, name discrepancies, restrictive covenants, or boundary concerns. For a deeper look at what these documents reveal, see our guide to Land Registry searches explained.
3. They include the costs as disbursements on your final bill or completion statement. Land Registry charges are passed through at cost with no markup.

Some solicitors pay for these upfront and add them to your final invoice. Others ask for a small payment on account at the start of the transaction to cover disbursements including Land Registry fees, ID verification, and bank transfer charges.

Situations where sellers face additional Land Registry costs

While the standard costs are modest, certain situations can increase the Land Registry-related charges on the seller's side:

Selling an unregistered property

If your property is not registered with HM Land Registry — which applies to roughly 12% of land in England and Wales — there are no official copies to order because no register entry exists. Instead, your solicitor works from the original title deeds. This does not generate a Land Registry fee for you directly, but the conveyancing process is more complex and your solicitor may charge higher fees to reflect the additional work involved.

Removing an old restriction or notice

If the title register contains an outdated restriction or notice that needs to be removed before the sale can proceed — for example, a restriction relating to a former co-owner or an old home rights notice — your solicitor may need to apply to the Land Registry. Simple removal applications are generally free, but in some cases the Land Registry may require supporting evidence or statutory declarations, which add to your solicitor's time and costs.

Defective title or missing documents

If there is a defect in your title — for example, a missing transfer in the chain of ownership or an unregistered interest that needs to be noted — your solicitor may need to make applications to rectify the register. The Land Registry fees for such applications vary depending on the type of application, but the solicitor's professional fee for handling the work is usually the larger expense.

How Land Registry fees compare to other selling costs

To put Land Registry fees in context, here is how they compare to the other costs involved in selling a property:

Land Registry fees are clearly the smallest line item. The real costs to watch are solicitor fees, estate agent commission, and any early repayment charges on your mortgage. For a full breakdown, see our guide to conveyancing costs.

Tips for keeping Land Registry disbursements low

Land Registry fees are fixed by statute, so there is no way to negotiate them down. However, you can avoid unnecessary charges:

• Check your own title before instructing a solicitor. Download your title register and title plan from the HM Land Registry portal for £7 each. If your solicitor then needs to order them again as official copies for the contract pack, at least you will already know what to expect and can flag issues early.
• Resolve title issues before listing. If you know there is an old charge on the register that should have been removed, contact your former lender to arrange the discharge. Doing this proactively avoids potential delays and additional solicitor fees later.
• Ask your solicitor for a full disbursement estimate. A good conveyancer will tell you upfront exactly which Land Registry documents they expect to order and what each will cost. This avoids surprises on your completion statement.
• Prepare your documents early. Having your property information forms completed, supporting documents gathered, and title reviewed before your solicitor begins work means fewer rounds of document requests and a more efficient process overall.

The legal framework behind Land Registry fees

Land Registry fees in England and Wales are set by statutory instrument under the powers granted by the Land Registration Act 2002. The current fee levels are prescribed by the Land Registration Fee Order 2024, which came into force on 9 December 2024.

HM Land Registry is a government department and executive agency that operates as a trading fund — meaning it is required to cover its own costs through the fees it charges rather than relying on general taxation. Fee increases are proposed by the Land Registry and approved by the Secretary of State. The most recent increase was designed to fund the ongoing digitisation of Land Registry services, including the migration of local land charges data and improvements to the electronic registration system.

For sellers, the practical effect is straightforward: you pay the statutory fee for any documents or services your solicitor orders from the Land Registry, and these fees are non-negotiable. They appear as disbursements on your completion statement alongside other third-party charges.

Sources and further reading

• HM Land Registry — Registration Services Fees (GOV.UK, updated December 2024)
• The Land Registration Fee Order 2024 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Land Registration Act 2002 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Search property information from HM Land Registry (GOV.UK)
• HM Land Registry Practice Guide 63 — Official copies and searches (GOV.UK)
• HM Land Registry — About us, annual reports and data (GOV.UK)

Frequently asked questions